Playing for Keeps
by Teddy.syn
Summary: Katsuya wrestles with feelings and frustration. Companion piece to Signs of Flirting, Katsuya's perspective. Can be read as a stand alone. Seto/Jou slash. ON HIATUS INDEFINITELY.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Stalker**

The day was warm, the air was clean, the sky was a deep, clear blue. The collective desire of the students to be outside, enjoying life, free, was so strong it was almost a palpable feeling, weighting the atmosphere in the classroom. The weight wasn't heavy, but rather electric: every person in the room could feel the tension. To some, the feeling was barely noticeable; to others, it was felt quite keenly. Most of the class members were squirming on the edges of their seats, ready to run for it when the bell rang. The clock ticked the seconds.

Jounouchi Katsuya sighed, his eyes looking longingly in the general direction of the window. Seated in the far back of the classroom, on the side closest to the door, he was as far from the windows as he could possibly be—and as far from his friends, also. Yugi sat in the very front row, one seat over from the windows: he had to look past Anzu to see out. Her eyes were on the board at the front of the class, but it was clear that there would be no new material today. The teacher was every bit as enamored with the beauty of the sky as the students—as the hands of the clock moved ever so slowly around the face, the tension mounted.

Otogi sat next to Yugi, a fact he wasn't particularly pleased about, while Honda sat behind Anzu. Ryou was two seats behind Otogi. But Jounouchi's gaze wasn't fixed far enough forward for him to be interested in what his friends were up to: he stared directly to his side, casting his view past the boy who sat in the far back corner of the class, at the end of the column Anzu headed. Unlike the rest of the class, this boy was clearly not interested in the weather: his focus lay on the laptop computer on his desk, taken out when it was clear that there would be no new learning material.

Kaiba and Jounouchi had somehow managed to end up in the same class again, and in an attempt to keep them from destroying the school, they had been made to sit far out of punching range. Their ratio of fights to days had lessoned dramatically with the new system, as had the number of trips to the nurse's office. Yet nothing but nothing could keep Jounouchi's attention off of the elder Kaiba brother: he was lucky they were in the same class so that he could listen to the teacher while he stared. There was not a day when the brunette did not catch the blonde's attention.

** - - **

Seto Kaiba was like the crystallization of perfection in a human body. The way he moved when he walked, or was still when he sat, working on some intricate problem on his laptop, as he was now—perfect balance, perfect poise. Katsuya was, to say the least, completely and utterly enthralled.

Katsuya shook his head at himself, annoyed at how events had played themselves out since the beginning of the new school year. Everything had been planned. They would fight, like they always did—Katsuya would initiate the fight himself, would deliberately provoke the CEO, if he had to. It wouldn't have been the first time. Oh, how he loved the feel of the fight, loved to roll together with that man over the floor of the classroom or anywhere really, loved to not care about the eyes staring at them or the voices raised in yelling or anything at all except the act of being _that close_ to the CEO—

Katsuya realized his thoughts had gone off on a tangent. He honestly wasn't surprised. Thinking about the brunette boy in the corner did that to him almost every single time.

He was thinking about his plan. His failed plan. His plan to get the brunette's attention, to force him to look in his direction. They would fight, and then, later, Katsuya had planned to take the taller man aside under the guise of apology, to talk to him, to confess…

But they hadn't been seated close enough. Katsuya hadn't even been given anything like a chance to challenge the brunette that first day—or the day after that, or the day after that, or… well. Actually, Katsuya had been shocked to see Yugi, of all people, take his beloved, his Kaiba, to the side at break, to speak with him privately. Was there something there? Katsuya had to wonder, but somehow he didn't think it was the case. Yugi would have told him if he had something with Kaiba. He trusted the short boy for that much, at least.

All those snarky comments he used to endure, the ones that had been the perfect opening, as if the CEO were setting him up to rise to the challenge, to start the fight, as if he liked it just as much—those comments had gone away, too. As if the CEO couldn't _bother_ to comment across the distance. Katsuya couldn't even begin to imagine why. It was just over his head.

But the CEO…. Katsuya fantasized. The teacher wasn't doing her job anyway, anyhow. Everyone was busy staring out the window. Katsuya allowed himself to spare a glance for what had caught the attention of everyone else in the class—_almost_ everyone, he corrected himself mentally, Kaiba was still working industriously—and was disappointed. It was just the weather, just another lovely blue day in a long string of lovely blue days. A blue day, like those blue eyes…

Katsuya was startled to find himself staring into blue eyes. He blushed immediately at the intensity of the gaze and looked away, mentally berating himself: how could he ever confess convincingly if he couldn't even look the other in the eye? His anger at his own weakness made him flush darker, but eventually got himself under control and managed to glance up again. He was afraid of what the taller boy would see in his eyes—even from across the room—so, in order to avoid coming across as antagonistic or worse, stupid, he smiled. Hopefully, wanting the boy to see all his love and joy and _want_, he smiled, but only briefly: he was still nervous.

The bell rang. The rest of the class had risen around him, but he found himself unable to look away, unable to stop watching the other, the perfect boy sitting across the room from him. He hadn't noticed the CEO packing up his things to prepare to leave, but he must have done it in the time Katsuya had been dazed and concerned only with the pure fact that the brunette existed, in the world, in his town, in the same school, same class as the blonde.

Katsuya realized he had been sitting in his chair staring at his classmate, and had the presence of mind to calculate that the other boy was probably expecting him to say something. It could have been the perfect chance to spill everything, except that the teacher was still in the room. He flashed an odd smile-grimace of apology and dashed out of the room.

** - - **

Katsuya closed the door to his apartment behind him and leaned against it heavily, counseling himself to breathe deeply and slowly. He had run for blocks toward home from school, eventually slowing to a quick walk. He hadn't heard his friends call him to go to the arcade with them, hadn't noticed the odd looks he got as he ran toward home, hadn't seen Seto Kaiba get into his limo and order his driver to take him home, all signs of **confusion** hidden beneath his perfectly smooth face.

He pushed off from the wall and walked gingerly to his bedroom, sinking to his knees before a short bedside set of drawers. Gently, slowly, he pulled open a drawer, reaching inside to take out a single small sheet of paper. It was a photograph, several months old at least, depicting a brunette boy in a blue school uniform looking off into the distance. He was standing in front of a row of cherry trees, but they hadn't blossomed yet at the time the photograph was taken.

The photo was bent at the corner and had a slight tear near the bottom. It was slightly wrinkled, as though it had been clutched too tightly in someone's hand for a period of time, and the back had the odd watermarks of a sweaty hand.

Katsuya crawled to his bed and settled himself comfortably, a small smile playing over his lips as he gazed lovingly at the photo, remembering the circumstances of its capture—Seto had been so furious with him. Katsuya had begged to keep it, had teamed up with Mokuba—promising the younger brother a copy of his too-rarely photographed sibling—and eventually the CEO had relented. The blonde stroked the picture now, with his knuckles; then his hand slipped down to his lap, and with a great sigh, slipped off to paradise.

**- -**

A/N: To all new readers, welcome, and to all returning fans, welcome back! The long-awaited (has anyone actually been waiting a long time? I guess maybe I have, because of that stupid last chapter of Signs of Flirting, took me five friggin' months) sequel/companion piece to Signs of Flirting has arrived! I hope everybody enjoys it, and I hope new readers who like it take the time to read Signs Of Flirting. It will contain spoilers, but only the ones you already know are coming, so you might as well. There will be plenty of new content in this story, so please look forward to it!

Actually, believe it or not, I've been staring at this chapter, waiting for it to write itself, for longer than chapter 10 of SoF held me up. I knew I wanted to start the same, so I had that (yes, the first four hundred and forty-odd words of this chapter are the same as those of chapter 1 of SoF) all written and waiting. But I had nothing for the rest of this chapter. I mentioned a while ago, I think, that I was nervous about it—since I don't know anybody like Jou. I hope, if I didn't get him right, I at least got him plausible. Anyway, once I finished off SoF, everything just kind of fell into place.

One last thing before I let you loose: I don't have any particular attachment to the name of the story, so if anyone wants to suggest something different, please please do.

Thanks again for reading, and don't forget to press the little "review" button at the bottom of the page. Reviews make chapters come faster, you know.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Battery**

The weather had spawned another glorious day, blatantly refusing to accept that with the coming of a new school year, summer was officially over. In fact, the school year had started weeks ago, and yet the weather was not the last hold out of good cheer. Katsuya, sitting next to Seto Kaiba, was about as jubilant as a person could get without the aide of additional (synthetic) dopamine.

The group was sitting on a rare patch of grass on the school grounds, partially shaded by a large deciduous tree in full summer bloom. The day was sweltering hot, and Kaiba had shed his long coat—presumably to find some relief from the heat. Katsuya wasn't about to let the chance pass him by. Kaiba had recently started sitting next to him at every opportunity—a fact that had Katsuya no less then absolutely thrilled—and today, without his coat, his bare arms so close… well. Katsuya was trying hard to get over the desire to fight with the brunette, but no matter what he did he couldn't quell the urge to touch him.

Someone cracked a joke—Katsuya didn't know who, or what was said, Seto was sitting _right there_, but he laughed and hit the CEO's shoulder again, playfully. He sort of hoped that the brunette would take it as an excuse to fight—God, how he wanted to fight—but after those first few weeks of school he wasn't really expecting anything, so he wasn't really sad, or lonely… really. He wasn't. He was being playful and inclusive (he even participated in the conversation—some jibe about Honda's love life—before he hit the brunette again) instead.

Actually, when he thought about it, he might have been acting a little too inclusive. Or he would have thought he was, but no one in the group remarked on it. Even Yugi didn't seem to have noticed how well he was getting along with his former 'worst enemy'. It was kind of odd. Yugi was right up there with Anzu as far as all that friendship business went—and Katsuya had no problem with friendship, he valued what he had with Yugi immensely—but this time, he just seemed out of it. He wasn't acting thrilled that someone besides himself was reaching out, didn't seem annoyed with him for reaching more successfully—not that he ever would, Yugi didn't get jealous—but above all he wasn't _noticing_. Very odd.

Luckily, Katsuya didn't think that often, so with an internal shrug he was able to ignore the confusion entirely.

He refocused on what was going on, just in case someone decided to actually speak to him, and almost immediately found himself drawn into the conversation with great interest and attention: Honda had just started talking to Kaiba, of all people. Honda didn't talk to Kaiba. And now he was talking again! "How come you never take us to meet your girl?"

Katsuya froze, shocked, and then knit his brows in confusion. Did Honda know something he didn't? _Did_ Kaiba have a girlfriend? How long had they been going out? Were they in love? How far had they gone?

Was Kaiba ever planning to tell any of them?

Was there any reason to think that he _should have been_?

He dimly registered that Honda was still talking… something about keeping her hidden… had Honda met her accidentally, before, and was now bringing it up because he wanted to see her again? Was Honda in love with Seto's girlfriend?!

The girl he had moments ago been ready to spit at was now something precious and fragile, one of the few things that could make his Seto happy, something that he would defend, even from his best friend, at all costs. But no—he should be _helping_ Honda get this girl, so that Seto wouldn't have her, so that he would be free to—

Free to what?

It was too much. Jounouchi couldn't handle all of the thoughts in his head, spiraling around, the desire to protect the happiness of the person he cared about, the desire to _be_ the one that person cared about, the need to understand why he cared in the first place—he had known Kaiba was amazing, but did he like him enough to make him break up with a girl who may or may not exist?

He didn't know what he called back to his friends, what sort of explanation he left in his wake as he stood abruptly and dashed off. He didn't even know where he was going, just that he had to get there, no, had to get away. Would his thoughts chase him? Had they already caught up? He needed to think about something else, and he needed to be alone, or at least away.

He briefly considered skipping out on the rest of his school day, or feigning stomachache and going to the nurse. But no, he had become such a good student, and Yugi would be worried already—even if he hadn't been noticing things before, he would have noticed that exit. Jounouchi sighed and slowed. He hadn't wanted to upset Yugi or worry him, but there was no way it could be avoided at this point. The passing bell rang to signal that he should be going to class, and, bracing himself for a slew of note passing, still confused and somewhat upset from lunch today, he went.

The walk through the halls was uneventful, but Jounouchi was surprised to see how close he had come to just walking to his classroom—he only dimly remembered thinking to himself 'not there, they'll look for you there'—but even with that, he wasn't far away. In fact, he was one of the first students into the room, and had to wait in annoyance and nervousness for Yugi to arrive. When he did, just steps before Kaiba, Katsuya felt his cheeks flush, and when the tall CEO walked directly towards him, he couldn't help but look away. And yet, when the boy sat down—oh, how could he resist but glance over, be sure that the brunette still hadn't noticed him, and once he had glanced, how could he help but notice everything he'd ever felt was important or attractive about the CEO?

**- -**

Note passing, as he had expected, had been tedious. He spent the majority of the afternoon berating himself for worrying the shorter boy, who, by the tenor of his notes, had actually been _very_ worried.

_Are you OK? What happened at lunch?_

Easily excused: ate too much too quickly, had to go to the bathroom suddenly, any number of simple lies presented themselves to Katsuya as he stared at the note, contemplating which to use.

He couldn't lie to his friend. _I didn't want to sit there and listen to Honda annoy Kaiba. Just because everyone isn't as outgoing as he is, that guy… I'm sorry I worried you. I just got a little annoyed._

He watched the short boy's expression as he read the note, going from interested to see the reply to confused at processing the reply. His own response was scribbled hastily.

_I thought you didn't like Kaiba????_

Katsuya frowned. That wasn't the response he had been expecting, and it annoyed him to think that Yugi thought that he would let something as petty as a little past irritation impede his sense of honor. It wasn't surprising, but it annoyed him. A lot. He had thought Yugi thought more highly of him then that. Then again, if he actually did dislike Kaiba, he would probably have ganged up on him with Honda. Damnit. Why did liking a person come with so much introspection?

But he had little time for additional thought before another note followed the last.

_Ignore that note. Everybody knows you don't like Kaiba._ What??? _Or we thought we did. But I'm beginning to wonder. _Katsuya could imagine Yugi trying to be severe with him. Even in his head, the best the spiky haired boy could manage was cute.

Another note. _You want to go out for coffee after school and talk about it? Treat's on me, regardless of if you want to talk or not. Nod yes or no. _

Jounouchi considered this last note for a while. It might actually be good—maybe really good—to talk to Yugi. He could clear the air, make up for today, and possibly get some advice. But there was one thing… Katsuya wanted to talk to Yugi. Not anybody else. He glanced over at the boy, who was watching him, waiting for his answer, and mouthed 'just us?' tilting his head to mark the question. When his friend nodded emphatically, he couldn't help but grin and nod back.

**- -**

"You know, you don't really have to treat me," the blonde said. He felt it was necessary, considering what he was getting. A large iced sugar milk more sugar and maybe some coffee with whipped cream, chocolate, and caramel sat on the table in font of him. Between it and his person was a plate sporting a large slab of a thick chocolate cake and, next to that, a grilled ham and cheese.

"No," Yugi said, sipping his small cappuccino demurely, "it's really alright. Now, start talking. And I don't care about manners, so don't feel like you have to sacrifice perfectly good eating time to be polite."

"Okay," the blonde replied around a large bite of sandwich, "what do you want to know?"

"We all thought you hated him, but no one's ever asked, so I am, now: how do you feel about Seto Kaiba?" Jounouchi took another bite of sandwich and a sip of coffee, thinking. "You have to actually tell me if you want the free meal." Katsuya laughed.

"Okay. Well. I don't hate him. Not at all."

"Not even a little bit?"

"Nope. Next question?"

"No way, you don't get off that easy. I asked how you do feel, not how you don't feel."

Katsuya frowned. "Okay," he said, drawing out the sound. "Well… that might be embarrassing. I guess I'm paying for myself after all."

"Nuh uh, if you dragged me out here to tell me nothing you can pay for me, too!"

"Yug'! You know money's tight at home—"

"Then talk, why don't you? I'm your best friend, you don't have to worry about being embarrassed, I won't tell anybody. Do you like him?"

Katsuya blinked. Could it be that easy? "Yeah," he said, to see.

"You like him?"

"Yeah."

"Like him like him or _like_ him like him?"

"What—what does that even mean? I like him, okay?"

"But do you like him as a friend or—"

"I like him. That's it."

"It doesn't seem like that's 'it'. It seems like there's more. When did you start liking him? Tell me you at least hated him at some point in your relationship."

"No, Yugi, I never hated him. Hate's too strong a word. Yes, in the beginning, I severely disliked him, but—and I know this sounds crazy, and I _know_ he was a dick to us, all of us, but—I sort of started liking him right away."

"By right away…"

"Not initially, when he was trying to kill us and all that nonsense, and then when he was stealing your grandpa's Blue Eyes, but… right after that." Actually, the first time he noticed me, _me_, not because I was there with you but because I was _me_, that was it.

"Pegasus's island?"

Long before, Yugi. "Sure. Let's go with that."

"Okay, so now we have the what and the when, so next is the why. Why do you like him? What specifically do you like about him?"

Try everything. Did I just think that? I'm so head over heels…. "I don't know, Yugi, I just like him."

"Don't try that with me, Jou. I might take that from Anzu, but I know _you_ don't 'just like' just anybody."

Katsuya frowned. "Well, if you put it that way…" he thought for a moment. "I like how driven he is. You know, it's like, he already has everything and he still works hard. He doesn't slack off just because he's smart and rich and famous, he actually tries hard. And I know he can and does accomplish more than the average person when he tries hard, which is what makes him look like he can do anything, but really, it boils down to the same thing. He just… tries hard."

"Is that it? Ryou tries hard, too, you know."

"But Ryou doesn't have that same… you know, it's like, when Kaiba's paying attention and really focused on something—especially when it's you—it's like there isn't anything else. He's so… I dunno, I guess intense?"

"And there're always those good looks to consider," Yugi put in, smiling. "Tall, dark, and handsome."

Katsuya actually blushed. He was quiet for a while, finishing off his sandwich and putting away a sizeable quantity of his drink before contemplating his cake.

"Jou?"

Katsuya glanced up at his friend's concerned tone, but hardly met his eyes before he looked away again. "Yeah. He's good looking."

"Something's wrong."

"I don't know, Yugi. I don't know. I—I feel so strongly, but… it's wrong, isn't it?"

"_What_? Why would you think that?"

"We're both men—"

"Aaaahh, Jou, who _cares_? You _like_ him, and he obviously cares enough not to attack you for it—and believe me, he noticed that act you put on at lunch today—and by act I don't mean the one where you disappeared."

"You say that, but it's not like any of us really know him. Even if he did notice, just because he didn't attack me… I don't think that means anything, Yug'. I can't."

"Well then, why don't you get to know him better?"

"How?" Not to be impudent or annoyingly incapable, but really, how do you convince an ice burg to warm up to you?

"Ask him questions."

"Questions…?"

"About himself."

"_Oh_." He blushed.

"Come on. You like him, right?"

"Yeah." He took a bite of his cake and frowned slightly. "Hey, I just remembered I have to be somewhere. Why don't you take the rest of this? Don't lie, you've been eyeing it all afternoon." He pushed the cake toward his friend before getting up.

"What? Thanks, but Jou—"

"I gotta go. Sorry. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

How can I tell him? Jou wondered as he left the coffee shop. How can I even begin to express how perfect Kaiba is to me? How every atom of his body is beautiful, how every time he moves it's like perfect fluid grace on ice, how every time he looks at me it's like… I can't tell Yugi any of that. I love the boy like a brother but I can't tell him any of _that_.

And then, after those sobering thoughts, came the one that truly mattered: if I can't tell Yugi, how will I ever tell Kaiba?

**- -**

A/N: Woohoo! I don't know if anyone cares about this story anymore, or if anyone ever did in the first place—the number of reviews would suggest not—but I'm happy to be back in action! I took a bit of a break and spent some time betaing—I'm currently working on a couple of projects, but I just felt like writing this afternoon—I should have been doing my homework, but whatever—and out fell this chapter! Hooray for all new content! And hooray for recycling old content!

I may just have to go with the whole starting all of the chapters off the same way thing. It seems to work pretty well to keep everything on track with Signs of Flirting. Speaking of, those of you who read SoF will notice that the coffee shop scene was only alluded to as an "I'll talk to him" promise from Yugi to Kaiba about Jou. There are a lot of those sorts of thing in SoF that will be expanded upon in PFK.

And speaking of PFK, I'm still not thrilled with the title! If you guys have suggestions, say so! If you like it, tell me that, too, because I really just don't know what to think!

Chapter 3 should be up soon. I'll tentatively say Friday, and hopefully I can make that happen.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: **_Questions that Matter_

"Hey, Kaiba, I like your boots. Where'd you get them?" Not that I'd ever be able to afford a pair.

"They're custom." Right. Knew it.

"Is your jacket custom, too?" Obviously it is, but…

"Yeah."

"Are they designer, or just—"

"Nobody important." Huh. A surprise.

"So, what are you doing on Saturday?"

"Working." What? Well… I guess it's not that surprising.

"On the weekend?" He must never stop.

"Yes."

"But—" he could be spending time with me.

"Do you _want_ something?"

Ulp.

Seto turned and glared at Jou. The blonde smiled back. He was definitely not in the mood to stop. Jounouchi had been questioning the older Kaiba in just this manner all day—before class, during breaks, during lunch, and now it continued after school. Jounouchi was taking Yugi's advice, but was doing his best to keep the questions light and simple: he didn't expect or even want Kaiba to start spilling his guts to him quite yet.

Currently, they were still in the classroom, but they were planning to go to the mall later—with the rest of the group, of course. Jounouchi almost blushed to think of the two of them out in public _together_, with no one else. Once again, the blonde wondered how he would ever be able to be with Kaiba if he couldn't ever go out with him without turning bright scarlet. Without even noticing, his annoyance at himself came out in his next words.

"I just want to know more about you. You never talk to any of us. We're supposed to be your friends, right?" He regretted it as soon as he said it.

"Right." Seto's reply came as though it were automatic, in a lifeless tone that suggested that any question of similar worthlessness would earn an answer of equal meaninglessness. That was what it was: meaningless. Kaiba didn't mean anything by agreeing that they were friends. Jounouchi tried not to let his upset at being blown off in this way show, but he couldn't help but be mad.

"When did you get this big stick up your butt, Kaiba?" He didn't even know what he was saying until the words had already spilled out, and then he realized what he had done. He immediately blushed and began stammering an apology. Seto had a stormy look on his face, and Jou wondered if he had ever been quite so insulted. He turned to go, having finally vocalized his apology, and expecting the elder Kaiba brother to allow him to cut his losses and remove himself from the situation before he stuck his foot further into his mouth.

His retreat from the classroom, where they had been left alone together by some oversight of the administration after class ended this afternoon, was hindered by a sudden tug on his sleeve, and he turned to see what he had caught on only to feel his feet slide out from under him as he moved to quickly, turning so abruptly that he lost his balance and toppled over, right on top of—

He couldn't believe it had happened to him. He was actually experiencing the feeling of Seto's lips on his own, feeling the sparks as their personal chemistry reacted to the proximity by sending a cloud of endorphins into his brain; he gasped and stumbled back, eyes wide and scared. He hadn't meant to assault the child billionaire. He hadn't meant any of it to happen. He wouldn't regret that it had, except in that he was sure, now, that the young CEO would be more adamant than ever about proving that they really, genuinely had nothing to do with each other.

"I wasn't trying to be rude or nothin'—" he tried to explain.

"You made a good point." What? What did he mean? A good point—what had they been talking about? All he could think about was that earth-shattering kiss, but it had happened because he had tripped, because Seto had grabbed him, because he had been turning away, because

"_When did you get this big stick up your butt?"_

…Was Seto saying they were real friends, after all? Strange thing to affirm after an incident like… that. Well.

Jou realized quite suddenly that they were still basically tangled up on top of each other, and anyone could walk in on them at any moment. "Um," he started, "we should go catch up with everyone." He could tell his face was beet red, and hoped that Seto would ignore it and let them move forward with their strange relationship.

It was all up to him, now.

Seto released his sleeve, and he was able to move out of his crouch. Standing brought him back into the CEO's personal space and Jou could tell very easily that he was not welcome there: the brunette tensed, straightening up, and though there was a gleam of something unrecognizable in his eyes Jou knew better than to press him at this point. He stepped back, out of the taller boy's way.

"Um…" The question didn't even pause for a moment in his brain before it passed through his lips, and he had no idea where it had come from. "Do you like animals?"

"Not all of them," came the frosty reply.

Jou felt that he should just back off, but he couldn't help but ask one more. "And what about me…?" his voice was a bare whisper, he was so nervous of the answer. Seto paused, and Jou was sure he had crossed a line and could never go back.

Then, wonder of wonders, the impossible happened. Seto replied simply, "I don't hate you." And then he smiled, softly, gently, and turned to walk out the door.

*sigh* I don't know what to say. There are supposed to be three additional pages of this chapter at least, including a plot twist that makes a freedom I took with SOF much more realistic. It's even in character, and everything. I can't tell you what it is, because it's possible that I might actually come back to this story and finish it one day. Possible, but unlikely. Some of you might remember that my last update to this story happened last November. It's been quite a while.

I feel bad, copping out with a half-chapter like this, especially when I have ideas to continue it, but at the same time the story isn't flowing for me. I'm already going against my conscious just by writing a mirror image of a story I've already written—it's boring, it's useless, and there's no need to warp a good idea by stretching it past its bounds. Furthermore, even thinking about this story makes me fairly annoyed, so actually writing it certainly doesn't help my mood. As my English teacher of the past three years can tell you, I simply can't write anything useful when I'm in a bad mood. I can write, if it's for a grade, but it's dull and lifeless and makes little to no sense.

This last is the most unfair part, because I'm really not into this fandom anymore—if I read any story from Yu-Gi-Oh! it's something that ships Ryou, and this obviously has nothing to do with him—and I want to be more faithful to the fandoms I am in. I have creative energy, just… not for this. I'm working on a story that _is_ flowing out of my fingertips—I've written six chapters for it in the past two weeks, which is pretty much an unheard of rate coming from me, and I don't know where it'll take me but I do know that I want to be taken.

Signs of Flirting is finished. You all know how it ends. The only planned difference in this story was that there was going to be more on-screen sexual exploration going on, and I might still use this story as practice for writing that, but I think for now you shouldn't expect anything. Playing for Keeps is on official hiatus. Sorry if you feel like I've wasted your time; I certainly feel that I've wasted my own.


End file.
